It's official: Microsoft's Apple iPad competitor is "coming soon," with Windows 7 on Intel. At yesterday's financial analysts' meeting, Steve Ballmer made his clearest statement yet on the company's vision for tablet computing. In IT Blogwatch, bloggers reach out and touch the future.

Your humble blogwatcher selected these bloggy morsels for your enjoyment. Not to mention a Philips-shop disaster...

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Gavin Clarke envisions an insomniac, nocturnal Ballmer:

Microsoft's CEO said Apple has sold more iPads and iPhones than he'd liked and he's suffering sleepless nights in the race to catch up. ... Microsoft's number-one priority is now to deliver touch-based computing pads running Windows 7. ... That's as good as admitting you know you misjudged the competition with a promise you're now committed to catching up.

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[But he] dismissed Google's Android and Chrome OS. ... Ballmer should be careful. That's the kind of careful competitive analysis that helped open the door to Apple's touch-based computing effort. ... Android's growing fastest of all the smartphone operating systems while OEMs are buying into Android and Chrome on tablets.

Mary Jo Foley knows all about that:

Ballmer didnt share anything new ... but did assure Wall Street analyst and press attendees that the Softies arent burying their heads in the sand. ... So where are they? Theyre coming soon, Ballmer said.

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Ballmer mentioned a few times during his keynote the coming [system-on-a-chip] Intel Atom processors ... available to customers in early 2011. ... Oak Trail, according to Intel, delivers a 50 percent reduction in average power consumption with full HD-video. ... Ballmer didnt mention ARM at all [or] Windows Embedded Compact. ... Ballmer said Windows will be the operating system, Intel will be the processor architecture and thats that.

Todd Bishop has the money quote:

One analyst pointed out that Microsoft ... is competing against not only Apple but also Google.

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"If we cant compete against whatever the weird collection of Android machines is going to look like, shame on us," Ballmer said.

And Paul Lamkin bleats this quote:[groan -Ed.]

With Windows on board, Ballmer said it would be easy for users to print stuff if they wanted to - a sly dig at Apple if ever we've seen one.

But John Paczkowski can't resist poking fun:

Bringing Windows-based slates to market is job one urgency around here, said CEO Steve Ballmer ... We have got to make things happen.

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And just how does the company propose to make things happen? ... Not entirely clear, but make no mistake, things are definitely going to happen. ... Weve got everything on our side if we do things really right.

Richi Jenningsis an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and security. A cross-functional IT geek since 1985, you can follow him as @richi on Twitter, pretend to be richij's friend on Facebook, or just use good old email: itbw@richij.com.

Richi Jennings — Your humble blogwatcher is an independent analyst/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, spam, and other security topics. He was voted 'Most likely to get up first to sing at karaoke' for 14 years in succession.